Fundamentally Wrong?

I recently decided to part with some money and get some stamp supplies. The first company I looked at (big, big US company)would only ship stamp supplies via UPS (United Parcel Service). The second place I looked at, at least gave you a choice of UPS or the USPS.
By-the-by, the post office shipped the items cheaper!

I kinda feel it is fundamentally wrong to ship stamp stuff to stamp collectors using a parcel carrier instead of supporting the post office. Just seems like they are feeding the problem. IF they would use postage stamps instead of meters that would be even better!

I guess making money at whatever cost is the name of the game.. Oh well. Thoughts?

I got surprised yesterday by a slip from the post office saying I have to visit the post office to collect an item. The seller never told me he was going to make me go to the post office to pick up the item. They did use USPS though.

PoStat4evR, smauggie, Greetings:

UPS & USPS now have a combined service, wherein UPS delivers to your nearest post office, and the post office completes delivery, and they split the fee. Probably good for both of them, as residential deliveries can be time-consuming (read: "expensive") for UPS, but USPS is gonna be there, anyway, six days per week.

I've growled elsewhere on SCF about achronistic use of stamps, which I think might undermine the hobby more than it helps; the fact that dealers enjoy a steady stream of discounted face value postage sorta, kinda, makes you wonder what we're doing when we collect (or encourage youngsters to collect) MNHOG to begin with.

And, as long as they have the discount stream, who can ask them to use contemporary face value postage, instead?

Cheers,

/s/ ikeyPikey

I agree that USPS should be the first option, and it is usually less expensive. I use the USPS for almost all of my shipments and have few problems. However, I see nothing wrong with offering UPS/Fedex as other options. Most large companies aren't going to use actual stamps, anyway, even if they ship USPS. In comparison to printed postage, stamps are time consuming, more expensive, and lack the automatic tracking they get when using online postage. They are (as they should be) more concerned with cutting costs, improving efficiency, and maintaining visibility of shipments than they are with providing us with a nice souvenir (i.e. used stamps) of the mailing.

I've come to the same decision, I use USPS for all my shipping needs and pick them if a choice is offered on the receiving end. With things like they are and congress messing with their pensions and such. Stamp collecting may become a forgotten hobby, seems there are fewer and fewer of us every year. I have tried to start clubs for young folks, I've spoke for elementary school classes on the subject. Nobody seems to be interested, not even my own kids, they were always interested in the monetary value, but to ID a set of 2 cent wash coils no! I'd say to them doesn't that one look taller and that one doesn't it look wider and look at the ribbon can you see any difference, no it was all to boring. It's up to us collectors to keep the hobby alive. Any thoughts?

I use stamps where practical, and I know that if the recipient is a collector, that their use is appreciated. I have doubts, however, that the answer to the declining numbers of collectors in this country is to use more stamps on mail, although I know using stamps certainly doesn't hurt anything. I honestly don't know how to attract people that aren't currently interested, but having some really good, robust digital tools (i.e. online catalogs, album creation programs, etc) would probably be a step in the right direction.

Personally, I think stamp collecting will always be around, although it will probably change. One of the things I find appealing about it (among many others) is that the nuts and bolts of collecting is *not* digital. I, for one, enjoy the break from being constantly being "plugged in", and I can't be the only one. Anyway, I think people, even in the digital age, are going to continue to enjoy pursuits that take them "off grid" for awhile. Having said that, I do wish that some parts of collecting - namely catalogs and album printing - became *more* digital.